Wayne Knight Is Not Dead: Seinfeld's Newman Victim of Elaborate Death Hoax

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Published 8:20 am, Sunday, March 16, 2014

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The only thing dead about Norman Reedus is the title of the show he plays on. 'The Walking Dead' star is the latest victim of a death hoax; rest assured Reedus is alive and well. Not many details are known about the hoax, but it did produce a Facebook tribute page. It seems everyone has caught on by now because at the time of publication, the page only had 108 likes.

The actor survived another death hoax earlier this year, in which it was reported that he died in a car crash in June.

Reedus is in good company. Click through the slideshow to read about other celebrity death hoaxes.

The only thing dead about Norman Reedus is the title of the show he plays on. 'The Walking Dead' star is the latest victim of a death hoax; rest assured Reedus is alive and well. Not many details are known

Let this be a lesson as to why you should pay attention in English class.

A recent play on words led the World Wide Web to believe that Betty White had died, when in reality, she had... "dyed." As in, her hair.

A cheeky headline published by Empire News read that the actress had "Dyed Peacefully in Her Los Angeles Home." The article was actually referring to how the star supposedly had colored her hair at home for decades.

Let this be a lesson as to why you should pay attention in English class.

A recent play on words led the World Wide Web to believe that Betty White had died, when in reality, she had... "dyed." As in, her hair. ... more

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Add Subway spokesman Jared Fogle to the list of celebs whose fans mourned for no reason. Fogle gained fame years ago after he credited his massive weight loss to Subway sandwiches. #RIPSubwayJared was trending on Twitter on May 5. But Fogle tweeted he's still breathing: "Every few months always odd to hear of my demise.. However, I am indeed alive and well ... thanks for all the concern. In NYC today."

Add Subway spokesman Jared Fogle to the list of celebs whose fans mourned for no reason. Fogle gained fame years ago after he credited his massive weight loss to Subway sandwiches. #RIPSubwayJared was trending ... more

Photo: DAVID KADLUBOWSKI, AP

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Wayne Knight is not dead, contrary to what the Internet might tell you. Several fake websites reported that he had died in a car crash.

Wayne Knight is not dead, contrary to what the Internet might tell you. Several fake websites reported that he had died in a car crash.

Possibly the most famous celebrity death hoax, pre-Internet days, was aimed at Paul McCartney. Theorists concluded that the cover photo of the Abbey Road album showed a funeral procession; Paul, the corpse, is barefoot and has his right foot extended instead of the left. less

Possibly the most famous celebrity death hoax, pre-Internet days, was aimed at Paul McCartney. Theorists concluded that the cover photo of the Abbey Road album showed a funeral procession; Paul, the corpse, is ... more

Photo: Apple/Capitol

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Vanilla Ice was said to have died in a car crash but he is alive and well. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Vanilla Ice was said to have died in a car crash but he is alive and well. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Al Gore's fake death was Jose Canseco's fault. The former baseball star tweeted: "al gore was a head of his time .i miss him rest in peace buddy hug for u" ... even though Gore is still alive.

Al Gore's fake death was Jose Canseco's fault. The former baseball star tweeted: "al gore was a head of his time .i miss him rest in peace buddy hug for u" ... even though Gore is still alive.

Photo: AP

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Actor and martial arts pro Jackie Chan was supposed to have "died" after suffering a heart attack. He had to post a message on his Facebook.com page to deny the claim, and even posted a recent picture.

Actor and martial arts pro Jackie Chan was supposed to have "died" after suffering a heart attack. He had to post a message on his Facebook.com page to deny the claim, and even posted a recent picture.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

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Then there was this poor kid. Justin Bieber supposedly took a dirt nap after committing suicide. Oh and also, he's part of the Illuminati.

Then there was this poor kid. Justin Bieber supposedly took a dirt nap after committing suicide. Oh and also, he's part of the Illuminati.

Though his 15 minutes of fame died a long time ago, William Hung was supposed to have sprouted wings after OD'ing on heroin. The hoax also claims he left a suicide note that read: "I have no reason of living . . . my art which is my importance to the best everybody laugh to . . . I make end here . . . goodbye world of cruel." less

Though his 15 minutes of fame died a long time ago, William Hung was supposed to have sprouted wings after OD'ing on heroin. The hoax also claims he left a suicide note that read: "I have no reason of living . ... more

Photo: AP

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Wayne Knight Is Not Dead: Seinfeld's Newman Victim of Elaborate Death Hoax

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A not-so-funny joke. Seinfeld alum Wayne Knight, who is best known for his role as Jerry Seinfeld's nemesis Newman, was the victim of an elaborate death hoax on Sunday, March 16. Several fake sites including TMZ Today, a fake Us Weekly site, and EBuzzd falsely reported that The Exes actor, 58, was involved in a fatal car crash with two other passengers late Saturday night.

Fans immediately took to Twitter, expressing their condolences and remembering the star, who has also appeared in Jurassic Park, Space Jam, and TV Land's Hot in Cleveland. The only problem: Wayne Knight wasn't dead!

The seasoned actor took to Twitter to clarify that the rumors weren't true.

"Some of you will be glad to hear this, others strangely disappointed, but….I am alive and well!" he joked. And after his name started trending, he continued, "Does someone have to DIE to trend? Geez! Thanks for all the love everybody. I didn’t know you cared. Glad to be breathing!"